Myocardial tissue characterization in systemic lupus erythematosus: value of a comprehensive cardiovascular magnetic resonance approach.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ inflammatory disorder mainly affecting women and is associated with high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We tested the utility of a comprehensive cardiovascular magnetic resonance approach to assess myocardial involvement and to determine its relation to disease activity in SLE patients. We studied 20 SLE patients (19 females, 35+/-10 years) and 13 healthy volunteers (nine females, 28+/-11 years).